San Juan Capistrano : Crystal Cathedral Buys 77-Acre Bathgate Ranch
Garden Grove Crystal Cathedral Ministries has purchased the 77-acre Bathgate Ranch, bringing its total land holdings in north San Juan Capistrano to 170 acres, according to church attorney Chuck Todd of San Diego.
Several development possibilities, a cemetery and a retirement home among them, are being discussed in informal meetings with city officials, Todd said.
The property is now zoned for agriculture. It is next to the ministries’ 93-acre retreat center, Rancho Capistrano, which was donated by businessman John Crean in 1982.
The price for the Bathgate Ranch was “well below” the $5-million promissory note recorded on the trust deed for the property, Todd said. Richard Simonian of San Juan Capistrano Estates sold a development option to the ministries May 15.
“The acquisition of the Bathgate Ranch provided an opportunity for the church to acquire property contiguous to its own and therefore control development of that property,” Todd said.
The ministries are headed by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller. Schuller’s son, Robert A. Schuller, leases a portion of the retreat center property from the ministries for his own church.
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